Airbnb says that Latin America and Africa are seeing the strongest growth globally among its users who are travelling on business.
Particularly hot destinations include Mar Del Plata, Argentina, with a 624 per cent year-over-year increase in bookings), Guarujá, Brazil (up 594 per cent from 2017 to 2018, and Aguascalientes, Mexico (up 594 per cent in business travel bookings).
Other fast-growing destinations for business travellers using the home-sharing service are Gwangju, South Korea, and Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, according to Airbnb.
For business groups, trending destinations include Ipoh, Malaysia, Guarujá, Brazil, Tagaytay, Philippines, Acapulco, Mexico, and Mammoth Lakes, California.
Tracking traditional hotel booking behaviour, business travellers tend to book Airbnbs much closer to their arrival date than leisure travellers — 20 days in advance, on average, compared to about 35 days for holidaymakers.
Business travellers from Taiwan, the US, and Germany book the furthest in advance, while those from France, Norway, and Mexico tend to reserve lodging with the least amount of lead time, according to Airbnb data.
Mirroring the “bleisure” trend, Airbnb says that business travellers are building down time into their trips, including scheduling more Airbnb Experiences such as Secret Paris tours, Lisbon dine-arounds, and walking tours of Toronto.
